This invention relates to an outside mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising a mirror glass divided into two mirror surfaces in a mirror housing as well as comprising a motor operator for the swivelling of one mirror surface about an axis which extends approximately vertically and is offset toward the outside with respect to an inner edge of the mirror surface.
An outside mirror of the above-mentioned type is the object of British Patent Document GB-A-22 23 724. In the case of the known mirror, the mirror glass is divided by means of an approximately vertically extending separating line into a inside and a outside mirror surface. When the direction indicator is activated, the outside mirror surface tilts about the vertical axis so that its most extreme edge moves toward the front. This enables the driver of the vehicle to observe, before a lane change, by means of this swivellable mirror surface, an area behind his vehicle which is much farther to the side than in the case of a mirror surface which is not swivelled.
However, outside mirrors of the above-mentioned type have not been accepted in practice although accidents during passing maneuvers are very common because the person pulling out did not see a vehicle passing him which was in his blind spot, so that there is an urgent demand for an outside mirror which permits the monitoring of the blind spot.
Particularly in the case of trucks, the known outside mirror does not permit a sufficient monitoring of the blind spot because a vehicle which is situated close to the truck and is laterally offset with respect to it is not only situated farther to the outside but also at a more diagonally downwardly directly angle with respect to the driver than a vehicle driving at a greater distance from the truck. A passenger car which is starting to pass a truck may therefore be situated not only laterally of the viewing range of a mirror but also below this viewing range.